Japanese court awards residents $5.4 million over Yokota aircraft noise

Japanese court awards residents $5.4 million over Yokota aircraft noise

by: Hana Kusumoto and Seth Robson | .

Stars and Stripes | .

published: October 17, 2017

YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan — A Japanese court has awarded more than $5.4 million to people living near Yokota in western Tokyo as compensation for aircraft noise.

Tokyo District Court in Tachikawa ruled last week that noise from aircraft operating at the base is above the “tolerable limit,” obliging the Japanese government to pay compensation, the judgment said.

More than 1,000 residents filed a lawsuit in 2013 seeking compensation for past and future noise damage and to stop military planes from operating at Yokota between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m.